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  1. #1
    Chat Mod Kip thorp's Avatar
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    KipTERVIEWs : Interviews with SE's personalities.

    Howdy all you SE players, new and old alike, Kip Thorp here with the first of what will be many instalments of interview, inside information and just general fun about Shadow Era and some of its more sparkling personalities. Top players, top developers, tech masters and even some general beloved Trolls. I've been curious what makes these fools tick so I though I'd find out. So now without further ado, (what the hell is an ado anyway?) I'll introduce our first and most prestigious personality.....-drum roll-.....

    Kyle Poole
    He's the game creator, the one true ruler of Balor, or own Wulven in sheeps clothing. And I was lucky enough to get him to sit down for a few minutes .....so let's see what he's got to say.

    1) All your players want to know the who, the what, the how and the when of SE? Was it playing other games , just your general creativity, or did you have a vision! Tell us Kyle, when did you decide to create SE and why were you so driven to actually get this great game going?

    I was always into collecting MTG cards. Actually I don't think I ever played a single game, but I liked to collect them! At the time when the iPhone and iPad became really popular, I noticed that there wasn't any real card games available for it. I set out to create a card game with gorgeous art, and game rules designed for quick mobile games. Shadow Era was the first full-scale CCG on mobile, but beyond that it was cross platform too, allowing you to play on your PC and then continue on the go.

    2) I know you call us your Pups, you've called the players of SE that for quite a while. Does this mean your favourite heros are Wulven? Is that where you came up w the name for Wulven Games?

    There is an old Scottish folktale of a werewolf named Wulver, that would sit alone on a rock and go fishing. He even has his own Wikipedia article! Unlike most werewolves, Wulver was not a shapeshifter and never was a human. I came up with the idea of the Wulven class based on this idea, and to this day wulver.com redirects to Shadow Era As the creator of the game, I take a lot of heat on the forums. Sometimes I have to remember that we all have the same goal: to make Shadow Era a great game. I do think of the players my pups! Sometimes they are whiney and nippy, but I love them and they look to me for leadership.

    3) So , there are 3 expansions of SE, Cotc, DP, and now LL. What's your favourite set! In LL you brought a whole new set of rules to the game by using cards w turn based as apposed to resource based casting requirements. What brought you to that desicion, rather than simply creating more resource based cards?

    Well, let's not forget Shattered Fates! But to be honest, I still mostly play with the original CotC cards! I prefer simple and straight-forward card effects, none of this tiny font, multi effect per card nonsense! But luckily I have left the card design to the design team, and Gondorian is doing a good job with that. These days I mostly stick with the game's vision, high concepts and vetoing the crazy ideas.

    4) You also brought into the realm of Balor, tribes, Homonuculus, Twilight, Wulven. There have been varying degrees of nerfing and boosting with those cards, especially with the additions of Lands. Are you planning on bringing us more tribes? (I'd like a Mage tribe please! ). And perhaps might there be a few new Heros to lead these tribes?

    The idea of tribes was fleshed out further in Lost Lands, and that's something that will continue. The expansion after LL is scheduled to have new heroes, with some new mechanics and a few surprises. But it's a bit too early to talk about that

    5) The question of balancing this game has been a constant thorn in your side I'm sure. We all saw the rise of twilights and the same w the many decks and card combos from almost all releases, Wulven Shaman was just a nightmare for a while and of course, Eternal Troll (the most horrible choice of art, imo, yes I get the joke) had to be nerfed as well. How hard is it and what are the biggest challenges trying to keep the game balanced while trying to develop new content?

    Balancing the game has always been an important part of Shadow Era, and it's something that we take great pride in. Unlike a lot of other games, there are a wide variety of different heroes and decks at the top tiers of competitive play. We keep detailed stats on hero win rates and card usage, but also keep in close contact with the players and rely on their feedback. Instead of banning cards like in a physical game, we prefer to balance them so that every card is playable, way back to the first set.

    6) Word on the street here in Elads home town, is there are going to be better campaign modes? We have all seen the development threads, but could you give us a little insight to your thoughts in this direction?

    A single player campaign and storyline is something that's been missing from the game for a long time! Right now it's all about multiplayer, but for a lot of people they just don't have the skills to compete against real people, and it can be a bit frustrating for them. A proper single player campaign, one with a ton of missions and engaging storyline, will allow Shadow Era to appeal to a much wider audience.

    7) ok, physical vs digital cards? You must have invested a lot in time and resources to make both happen, I personally know a lot about printing and I can't imagine a run like this. But , some feel the process of producing physical cards, really slowed the development of the game. Where do you stand with that now? Are there going to be more physicals? Or is that on hold at the moment?

    The physical cards were sort of a dream come true for me, as a card collector. The original plan was to just produce some collector's items, but the overwhelming response of the crowdfunding we were able to go all out! It was quite an honor to know that something I created was loved by so many people. Being able to finally hold Shadow Era cards in my hands was great, with super high quality even better than the top CCGs and amazing looking foils! But I don't see how it can be said that the physical cards slowed the progress of the digital game. It was expensive, for sure, but largely paid for by the initial crowdfunding, and we've started to turn a profit on it now. The physical cards have been closely tied to the digital game, meaning it's the same cards and game rules in both. Physical booster packs also have a redemption code to get shadow crystals in the digital game. We're also working on cross-promoting it the other way too. In the near future we'll be printing the Shattered Fates set if the demand is there, but only before we make more progress on the digital game, namely campaigns and automated tournaments.

    8) Ok, this is a multi choice question w a time limit, so first thing of the top of your head.....GO!
    > Boxers or Briefs? Boxer briefs, the best of both worlds!
    > Favourite Adult beverage? Corona, but it needs a lemon wedge
    > Favourite Video game (SE does not count!) I don't really have an all-time favourite, and Egg, Inc. A idle/clicker game where you raise a chicken farm and have swarms of chickens running around. A good stress reliever!
    > Favourite food? I gave up food and now exist purely on Soylent. True story.
    > Blondes or Brunettes? Or omg, Redheads? They say gentlemen prefer blondes. I've always liked black hair.
    > Do you think Elad Rush is a brainless deck? If the AI can't play it properly, it's not brainless!

    9) Now, you know your our God of Balor, so you've got some street cred. I'm constantly asked about where you are and what your doing, like I would know. But I wanna ask ya, would you be willing to play in a pop up tourney with some other SE greats, to kinda chat for a few and have a little fun w the common folk?

    I've always been open to hearing from players! Email me at kyle@wulven.com (with the subject "I love you Kyle" if you want to get noticed) or add me on Facebook by searching for Kyle Wulven. I'm not the best ccg player (did I mention I was a collector?) but a few exhibition matches would be cool! But only if I can use my Zaladar Rolling Pin deck!

    10) Kyle, I'd like to thank you very much for chatting with me and all your SE community. I'll be taking more questions for a future instalments , but I want to give the chance to say anything you want to us in Balor, we wanna know what your thinking and any messages you've got for us? On a personal note , A1-Alliance and the whole SE community are in your debt for such a meaningful salute to our great friend Caitlyn0 . Thank you so very much, you truly showed how much you care about your pups. Now please, tell us anything you wish.

    The passing of Caitlyn0 was a shock to all of us! She was such a big and vocal part of the community, that suddenly losing her was a reminder that we're all real people behind our forum accounts and player names. I think we can all learn from her last request, that we all remember that it's just a game and we should have fun and not take it too seriously.

    Well there you have it my fellow Balorians or Shadowerites.
    I'd like to thank Kyle for his time, not just here, but in making this game , and he's promised me a few more interviews, provided I don't sell those vids to the press. (Black hair, sure, lol). I'm very honoured that he would take the time to chat with me and bring a little more insight to this game we all seem horribly addicted to. Questions? Comments? or a cool idea, pm kip thorp or hit me up on TG. Thanks for your time and please look for more kipTERVEIWS, soon.
    A1 kip thorp
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  2. #2
    Senior Member frost09's Avatar
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    that is noiceeeeee I played with kyle today my self :P good and fun guy
    ign: SK Frost2

  3. #3
    DP Visionary Shadows R Us's Avatar
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    Great interview and interesting responses. Keep up the good work.
    The Paladin of Punxsutawney
    Warrior of The Blue Phoenix
    Greatness, Reborn

    IGN: BP Shadows R Us

  4. #4
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    Interesting breath of non-se air. Like reading an article in a newspaper about sth that interesting you. As a collector, i like the fact that sf printing is being considered.
    Keep up the good work.

  5. #5
    Senior Member oggtheman's Avatar
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    Trolls you say ....

    Sent from my HTC Desire 610 using Tapatalk
    A member of ETC.
    Creator of boomerang combo deck.
    Likes playing lots of card games.

    I had a really awful signature in the past so i changed it.

  6. #6
    DP Visionary Soylentgreen's Avatar
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    LOL.....Eat Me!!!!!
    Soylentgreen is people!!!

  7. #7
    Lead Developer / Designer Gondorian's Avatar
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    Great interview, Kip!

  8. #8
    Senior Member highmystica's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kip thorp View Post
    If the AI can't play it properly, it's not brainless!
    +1

  9. #9
    Senior Member Alzorath's Avatar
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    nice interview Kip - very well done

  10. #10
    Chat Mod Burnout1985's Avatar
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    Nice interview kip. Good job
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